tofu

I recently stumbled upon the Herbivoracious blog and have been having an absolute ball flipping through his recipes. That man knows how to get his vegetarian on like it’s his JOB (which, actually, I believe it is. He’s a chef.)

This recipe is all about the sauce, so if you’re not a tofu kind of gal/guy/whatever, then you can sub it out for beef, chicken, water buffalo, etc. Let me warn you: it’s insanely delicious. Lock away the portions you don’t plan on barreling through well before you begin, or you may end up like me: black-out snarfing over the sink while my cat shot me judgmental looks. She thinks she’s so superior.

Prep the tofu by slicing it into 3/4″ slabs and laying it out on paper towel. Press out some of the moisture with more paper towels and set the tofu aside. In a medium bowl combine all of the sauce ingredients and whisk together. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high. When hot, lay the tofu out in a single layer and brown for about 5 minutes. When the tofu is loosened from the bottom of the pan (if it doesn’t “give” fairly easily then it’s not ready to be flipped), flip and cook another 4-5 minutes. Pour off about half of the oil into a heat-proof ceramic bowl. Add the sliced onion to the pan along with the sauce and reduce the heat to medium low. After a couple of minutes, remove the tofu pieces and allow the sauce to come to a simmer. It will thicken nicely, but add some stock if you want a thinner situation.

I served this over coconut rice (a must, in my opinion) with some grilled bok choy and it was delightful. Crispy, saucey goodness–what more could I want?

Tofu is one of the most unsexy foods to behold on this earth. It’s a wet, taupe-colored block of soy and it’s no wonder many people take one look and say “Thanks, but I’d rather lick my own foot.” But it is deliciously adaptable, weirdly addictive, and, well, just plain fantastic. After you get over the initial weirdness of it all, it’s hard not to become a tofoodie. Tofudie. Tofudite?

Whatever we call ourselves, tofu lovers are always finding new ways to embrace the king of soy. Cholita Linda got me hooked on their spicy tofu tacos and I wanted to recreate it on my own. In my world, the best tacos have a lot of different toppings and components. It makes them a bit complex, grocery-list wise, but completely worth it in the end (ie, don’t be scared off by the ingredient list below!). And the best part is that everyone gets to pick exactly what they want to craft their dinner time masterpiece.

I’m a saucy gal and wanted lots of it to top the crunchy slaw and crispy tofu, so I made crema and chipotle garlic sauce. Tangy, spicy, and extremely messy, I was very pleased with how it all came together.

Prep the tofu by pressing it in-between paper towels, until some of the moisture is removed. In a rectangular dish, whisk together the marinade ingredients. Lay the tofu pieces flat and marinade for 20-30 minutes, turning occasionally. You can also marinade it overnight. Meanwhile, make the crema by whisking together the sour cream, lime juice, and salt. Set aside. With an immersion blender, in a Cuisinart, or in a regular blender, puree all the chipotle ingredients until smooth. Salt to taste. *Note: the chipotle peppers are spicy. If you are sensitive to spice, start with half a pepper and work your way up. Make the slaw by very finely slicing the cabbage, so that it is very delicate and thin. Whisk together the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl, then toss in the cabbage. Place a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and remove the tofu from the marinade, patting dry. Add the oil to the pan and, when shimmering, lay the tofu down. Cook until brown and crispy, about 5-7 minutes per side. Assemble tacos by layering beans, tofu, slaw, sauces, and cheese on top. Enjoy!